


It Seems I'm Bound To Roam

by Haught_potato



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Apocalypse, Blood and Gore mention, F/F, Hoodie stealing, I swear this is a Wayhaught story it just take a minute for Waverly to show up, Mojave Wasteland (Fallout), Mutual Pining, Romance, Slow Burn(ish), Wynaught Brotp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:47:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27164767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haught_potato/pseuds/Haught_potato
Summary: Fallout: New Vegas AUWith nowhere to go and nothing to do after her town is destroyed by the Cult of Bulshar, Nicole Haught follows a whiskey-soaked courier and her extraordinary sister on a revenge scheme that just may change the fate of the Mojave Wasteland forever.
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Wynonna Earp & Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Wynonna Earp & Nicole Haught
Kudos: 30





	1. What Happened to You?

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy. Consider this my comeback onto the fanfiction scene ever since I stopped writing back in 2014. I'm a newcomer to the Wynonna Earp fandom and, much like all of us, I'm struggling to cope with the wait between now and season 4b. And since these characters are now living in my mind rent-free, I figured I'd jot down what's going on in there for all to enjoy. Give me a moment to dust off my writing skills, which are QUITE rusty, and I promise I'll give you a half-decent story.

Nicole saw the looming roller coaster in the distance and knew she had almost made it. The horrible, gut wrenching sound of her pursuers thundering after her had long faded away, yet she didn’t dare cast a backward glance, terrified that she would see the new subjects of her nightmares. 

_It had started with screams; horrible, awful screams ripping through the dead of the night. Nicole had woken with a start, wrenched from her dreams in time to see the door of her family’s home being kicked open. A man in leather stood in her doorway, leering at her in a way that made her blood run cold._

_Her father had appeared in the doorway, momentarily blocking her view. He had demanded to know who he was and what he wanted. The man spoke not a word, pulling out a machete and slashing through her father without a moment of hesitation. As Nicole clamped her hand over her mouth, the man’s eyes gleamed with mirth, boring into her own eyes once more._

_“Come with me,” he had said, the finality in his voice coupled with the weapon in his hand coercing Nicole to comply, shoving her feet into the pair of boots by her bed. She had two younger siblings, whom she corralled in front of her and out the door, her trembling mother following shortly after. The man led them into the middle of town, where other families stood huddled together, weeping. Embracing. Praying._

_The thick scent of blood stood heavy in the air. Oh God the smell. Nicole could almost taste the metallic sting as the man in leather shoved her family into the crowd. She thought of her father, his fate leading her to wonder what they had in store for her._ _The man in leather appeared in her line of sight again. He was perched on the top step of Nipton Town Hall, surveying the chaos he and his men had wrought with a smug expression. The blade of his machete dripped with the blood of her father and whoever else he had slaughtered that night._ _He held up a hand and motioned for silence. Time stood still as he waited for the attention of the frenzied town. The people who did not seem to understand this, the people still wailing and screaming, were quickly silenced by the blades of the henchmen surrounding the crowd. Suddenly all was hushed, and the man in leather nodded his head with a satisfied smirk._

_“I am the messenger of my lord, Bulshar. Let it be known that He will be risen once more. And you, town of Nipton,” he said with a sneer. “will be his first victims.”_

_The door to the town hall burst open then, two cultists coming into view carrying what seemed to be a giant wooden cross between them. Nicole’s stomach twisted as her eyes caught sight of Mayor Steyn, his hands and feet bound to the cross, crucified in front of his own town. Though his head lolled forward as though he had no life left in him, Nicole knew, with sympathy in her heart, that the man had not yet been granted the mercy of death. The cultists set the crucifix down so that the whole crowd could see their leader clinging to life._

_“Your fearless leader!” The man in leather cooed. “The chieftain of this town of sinners has been brought to his knees. Let this be a lesson to all ye brutes, what lies ahead for your crimes.”_

_With that, the man in leather brought his machete down on the mayor’s neck, severing his head clean off. The splatter from the blood reached the front of the crowd, as Nicole shielded the eyes of her younger siblings. It made no difference; they had seen, but Nicole still blocked their sight as though that would take away the trauma such a sight might cause._

_The screams were back before the mayor’s head hit the ground. The cultists surged into the crowd, slaughtering citizens left and right. Nicole gasped as her younger sister was wrenched from her grasp by a man in tented robes. Her life was taken before Nicole had time to react. She whirled around in time to see her mother falling to the ground as well, blood seeping from her wounds, splattering the side of Nicole’s face._

_Then came the sound of the cleaver aimed for her own body. She jerked backwards, the blade missing by mere inches. The man making an attempt on her life was also dressed in those awful robes, and Nicole’s gaze rested on the two holes on his mask where his eyes would be. Those eyes, they seemed to glow impossibly red. The sheer terror coursing through her forced her to the dirt, crawling backwards to get away._

_Nicole had only one thought at that moment. ‘This man is going to kill me.’_

_Suddenly, the man disappeared from view. Her younger brother stood, having just shoved the man to the ground. She didn’t have time to react, didn’t have time to express her gratitude or tell him that she was proud of him or tell him that she loved him before the blade of another cultist sliced through the air, stealing his last breath. As if in slow motion, he titled closer and closer to her as his body collapsed on top of hers. And as he fell to the ground, Nicole wondered if he knew that he had saved her life._

_She laid there, head in the dirt with her brother’s limp body draped over her. The last of her family was gone and she only assumed she was next. She closed her eyes and waited for the final sting of the cultist’s blade. But...none came._

_She didn’t dare crack her eyes open, petrified at the thought of opening her eyes only to see death coming right at her. And as the seconds ticked by she waited, wondering if by some grace of whatever guardian angel watching over her, she would not die that night. She thought of her blood stained face, the dead body covering her own, and wondered if they assumed she was dead as well. At this thought she dared to lift her eyelid just a sliver to peek at the aftermath._

_Bulshar’s men proudly gazed at the massacre they had enacted, arms clasped around each other’s shoulders in victory. Cruel, malicious laughter rang through the air. Nicole fought back the urge to vomit at their mirth. The entire town lay dead before them and these men were acting like they had just won some sort of game. Maybe they had._

_Nicole wondered if they would leave then. After all, they had gotten what they wanted. That’s when the smell of smoke cleaved through the blood scented air. Bulshar’s men jauntily passed torches around as they set the wreckage of the town ablaze. Nicole shifted, wriggling under the weight of her brother’s body. She knew if she laid there any longer she ran the risk of being burned alive. Slowly she scrambled to her feet, Bulshar’s men still unaware of this unknown survivor. This was soon broken as she sprinted into the Mojave wilderness, running vaguely in the direction of the nearest town. Confused shouts rang out behind her, and she knew those men were chasing after her._

* * *

Sunrise peeked over the mountains of the Mojave just as Nicole made it to the gates surrounding Primm. It was then she allowed herself to catch her breath, finding safety in the presence of some sort of civilization. As she neared the entrance of the town, she saw a man in army fatigues running her way. She knew what she must look like, all covered in blood and gore, so she held up her arms in surrender and waited for him to approach her. 

“Ma’am, Primm is off limits. Where the hell-” The man seemed to speak before fully taking in her appearance. He unconsciously took a step backwards as his eyes roamed over her blood stained attire. 

“Please, let me in. I need to talk to the sheriff. I’ve just survived a massacre at Nipton,” Nicole pleaded. 

The man chewed on his lip, distrusting eyes searching hers for any sort of deceit. He squared his shoulders. “Primm has been overrun by the gang of escaped convicts known as The Revenants. If you really must go in, I can’t stop you, but know that I also can’t protect you. If I were you, I’d head on to the next town over, Goodsprings. It’s about a mile that-a-ways,” he said, vaguely pointing in a direction Nicole paid no attention to.

“Did you not hear me!?” she cried. “I just ran from a massacre! Aren’t you going to do something!?”

“I’m afraid Nipton doesn’t fall under our jurisdiction,” the man had the good sense to at least look a little apologetic at this bit of information. “Primm doesn’t either, for that matter. Black Badge simply doesn’t have the funds to protect these areas. Whatever help you’re looking for in Primm, I hope you find it, but I’m afraid our hands are tied.”

With that, the man stepped aside, seemingly to let her enter, and Nicole stared at him before surging forward into town. As she looked back, she noticed the man’s gaze was fixed on the columns of smoke still rising from the ashes of Nipton in the distance. ‘ _Jackass,_ ’ she thought to herself. 

* * *

As she walked into the town of Primm, she noticed how little residential buildings there were compared to Nipton. From what she could discern, there appeared to be only a few metal shacks here and there, the rest of the town comprised of what must have been casinos back before the bombs fell. If she looked straight ahead, she could see a big sign with the shape of some sort of animal Nicole had never seen before and the words “Bison Steve’s” stacked underneath. The building was encircled by a gigantic roller coaster. Her mother had once told her that, before the bombs fell, that roller coaster was used for entertainment. Some sort of mechanism would allow the people to sit in carts as they zipped along the tracks. Nicole had gone on a caravan ride once when she was much younger and wondered if it was kind of like that. 

To her left was another casino type building, though she couldn’t quite see what this one was called. She assumed the sign was on the other side of the building. The building strip on her right was unremarkable as well, except for the corner office which had the words “Mojave Express” emblazoned in big letters on its roof. She noticed with a jolt that there appeared to be a dead body propped up against the side of the building. 

Suddenly she felt a bullet zip past her ear, and she vaguely wondered how many people were going to try to kill her that day. Her eyes traced the trajectory of the bullet back to a man several yards away pointing a firearm at her. Her pulse quickened as she scrambled for any sort of cover. She cowered behind a nearby column supporting the awning of the unnamed casino to her left. The sound of footsteps seemed to be getting closer as her assailant advanced on her position. Her eyes snapped over to the door of the Mojave Express. She wondered if she could cross that distance without taking a bullet. Only one way to find out…

Muttering a silent prayer to herself, Nicole shot out from the cover of the column and made a beeline for the Mojave Express. Bullets ricocheted off a nearby lamppost as she passed. She flinched as a bullet shattered the window of the neighboring building. Finally, she reached the doorway of the Mojave Express and ducked inside.

It occurred to her, as she burst into the building, that she may not have considered that the people inside may not be as friendly as she assumed. After all, her first welcome into town was being shot at. What could the people of this town be like? Thankfully, her sudden entrance was met only with the startled eyes of two figures conversing at the front desk. One of the figures, a man who looked to be in his late 70’s, raised a curious eyebrow at her. 

“Well howdy, stranger,” he said. 

Relieved to be speaking with someone who didn’t seem to want to kill her, Nicole’s heart soared with the first feeling of hope she’d had since this horrific incident began. The second figure, a young woman standing in front of the counter, stared at her appearance with a mix of horror and...respect? She looked to be about her age, with dark brown hair and a sick fringe leather jacket. 

“What happened to _you_?” she asked in a voice that seemed impressed, as if Nicole had just casually breezed in with the head of a deathclaw tucked under her arm. Her question was enough to remind Nicole of the predicament she was in, however. 

“Right, I need to talk to the sheriff. _Please_ tell me one of you knows where I can find them,” Nicole pleaded. 

The older man regarded her with a grim look. “First thing’s first, let’s introduce ourselves. My name is Juan Carlo. And you, young lady?”

“Nicole Haught,” she replied impatiently.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Miss Haught. Now, I’m afraid the answer to your question is a little complicated at this time. Yes, I know where you can find the sheriff, but it would seem he’s a little tied up at the moment.”

“I just survived a freakin _massacre_ and you’re telling me the sheriff can’t take five minutes out of his day to come help me?” Nicole said through gritted teeth.

The woman at the counter leaned forward with a glimmer of interest in her eyes. “A massacre? You’re _kidding_ ,” she breathed. 

“Whoa, settle down there, Miss Haught.” Juan Carlo held up his hands in surrender. “Fact of the matter is, our sheriff is in the middle of a little hostage situation happenin’ in Bison Steve's, a situation I was just explainin’ to Miss Wynonna Earp here,” he jerked his head over in the direction of the girl at the counter. Wynonna snapped her gaze back to Juan Carlo as he continued. “And when I say he’s in the middle of a hostage situation, I mean that literally. Sheriff Nedley _is_ the hostage. So I’m afraid no one’s conversin’ with the sheriff until he’s out of harm’s way.”

“You have _got_ to be kidding me,” Nicole groaned. 

“Don’t worry Haught stuff,” Wynonna suddenly interjected, pulling a rather large buntline out of the holster at her hip. “I’ve got my own questions for Sheriff Nedley, and I’m going in there guns-a-blazing.” 

“By yourself?” Nicole asked doubtfully. Wynonna quirked an eyebrow at her. 

“No offense, but you look like you just lost a fight to a herd of Brahmin and you’re questioning _my_ abilities?” 

“No- I just, what I mean is, you want some help?” Nicole offered. Wynonna gazed at her skeptically. 

“You got a gun?” she asked. Nicole sighed and shook her head. She didn’t even have two sticks to rub together. 

“You know, rumor has it, there’s quite a gun stashed in the floor safe of Bison Steve’s gift shop,” Juan Carlo cut in. “If either of you girls are any good at picking locks, I’m sure you could put these to good use,” he said, reaching into a nearby cabinet and tossing a few bobby pins on the counter top. “The lock’s pretty sturdy but, desperate times…”

Nicole nodded and pocketed the bobby pins. “You in?” she asked Wynonna. The dark haired girl smirked and set off for the door. 

“Always.”


	2. Lucky

With Wynonna leading the way, getting past the asshole shooting at Nicole before was a piece of perfectly preserved pie. She observed with quiet respect as the man went down with two shots. That must have been quite a gun Wynonna was towing around, although Nicole had always been told that a gun was only as good as its user. Still, as Wynonna fired, Nicole swore she saw the tip glow, though that might have been the reflection of the sunlight hitting her eyes…

As they approached the door to Bison Steve’s, Wynonna motioned for Nicole to stay quiet. Slowly and carefully they eased the door open, peeking inside to see if there was anyone awaiting them. There appeared to be a Revenant member sitting at the front desk of the casino, but judging from the bored expression on his face, he hadn’t noticed the guests at the door. Wynonna shoved her gun through the crack and fired off a few shots. The first missed entirely, the second glanced off the doorway, and the third hit true in the man’s chest. He went down like a sack of flour, but the commotion of the first two shots bought the attention of more Revenants down the hallway. 

“Take cover, Haught,” Wynonna advised. Nicole did as she said, fully aware of how useless she was until she got her hands on a gun. She ducked in front of the front desk as Wynonna took several shots at the incoming Revenants. She was once again hit with the thick scent of blood and was reminded of the catastrophe she had witnessed just hours prior. 

_Screams. Terrible screams. Bulshar’s men mowing down hordes of her friends, neighbors. A cultist, kneeling down next to her, nudging her shoulder-_

“Haught. _Haught_ -” Wynonna’s voice brought her back to reality. Blue eyes met brown as Wynonna knelt beside her, hand on her shoulder. Nicole realized that Wynonna must have cleared the room of hostiles as all was suddenly silent. 

“Did-did you get em’?” she asked hoarsely. Wynonna nodded. 

“Uh, yeah. Hey, you sure you’re up for this?” she asked, concern lacing her expression. Nicole stood. 

“Yeah. Let’s do this.” 

The two crept over to the doorway leading into the hall. A sign on the opposite wall claimed to be the entrance to the gift shop and, casting a cursory look down the hall for any Revenants, the two crossed over and slipped into the room. Scanning the room for the alleged safe, Nicole quickly found what she was looking for on the floor behind the cashier counter. Wynonna slid her a doubtful look as Nicole pulled a bobby pin from her pocket. 

“I hope you know what you’re doing because I’m complete shit at that stuff,” she mentioned. Nicole just waved a hand at her. She’d had practice with a few locks in Nipton, whether it was an old safe someone had discovered in their home or a locked medicine container that had fallen off a passing caravan. 

Nicole used a discarded screwdriver for torque as she raked the bobby pin against the pins within the lock. It took a few minutes, Wynonna shifting uncomfortably as if she assumed Nicole wouldn’t be able to do it, but eventually something gave and Nicole was triumphantly able to rotate the tumbler. 

“Nice work, Haught shot,” Wynonna complimented as Nicole reached into the safe. She pulled out an absolutely beautiful revolver. The handle was white with a little black clover stamped on the side. Intricate swirls decorated the chamber. The swirls continued on the barrel, and if Nicole looked closely, she could see the word “LUCKY” etched into the metal.

“Lucky,” she said aloud. She reached into the safe to see if there was any ammo and was heartbroken to find a small box with only three bullets left inside. “ _Shit_ -”

“What kind of ammo does it take?” Wynonna asked, sensing her predicament. 

“Uh...looks like .357,” Nicole said, reading the box to make sure. 

Wynonna cursed under her breath. “I have a few rounds of .357, but not much,” she said, tossing a box over at the redhead. At Nicole’s grateful expression Wynonna quickly added, “you owe me, Haught shot, so you better not die on me.”

* * *

The two girls crept down the hallway, guns at the ready in case they ran into any gang members on the way. Finally, they reached the doorway of the casino floor, where they could hear voices inside. Nicole held up a hand for Wynonna to stop. She then held a finger to her lips, then laid her hand down flat in the air, parallel to the ground. _Stay quiet, stay low._ Wynonna rolled her eyes at her as if to say, _“yeah, no shit.”_

As they poked their heads around the corner and peeked into the room, they heard a gruff voice saying, “-really left in a hurry, huh?”

“Yeah, but thankfully he stayed long enough to drop off these new toys,” said a second voice affectionately. Nicole didn’t have long to wonder what he meant when he said “toys” as she heard the slight yet distinct clicking of a firearm. 

“Man, how long is he gonna make us keep this sheriff guy, huh? _Clearly_ no one is coming after this fool,” complained the first voice.

“Relax, would ya? Bobo’s got a plan, he’s always got a- what the _fuck_ was that?” the second voice said suddenly. Nicole shoved the shoulder of Wynonna, who had been audibly snickering ever since the voice had said “Bobo”. Groaning, Nicole cocked her new revolver as she heard footsteps clambering towards them. 

She barely had time to aim as a Revenant with a hunting rifle ran at her. The bullet ripped into his arm, but instead of slowing him down, the shot only seemed to make him angrier. He leveled his hunting rifle at her, and she quickly rolled behind a nearby couch to avoid the shot. A hail of stuffing rained down as the bullet stuck a pillow. “ _Better that pillow than me,”_ Nicole thought. Still crouched behind the couch, Nicole surfaced long enough to take another shot. She got him right between the eyes with this one, and the thug went down immediately after. 

On the other side of the room, Wynonna was taking shots at a man wielding an incinerator. Nicole scrambled over to help, but another goon with brass knuckles stepped in her way. She dodged the swing of his fist and pumped a bullet into his shoulder. As he stumbled back, he took another shot to the side of his face. Nicole was getting tired of all the blood splatter. 

“And stay down!” she heard Wynonna shout triumphantly. She looked over to see the gunslinger standing over the lifeless body of the man with the incinerator. 

“I think we got em all,” Nicole observed as no one else emerged from the casino floor to murder them. 

“Ooh, fuck yeah,” Wynonna exclaimed, sort of ignoring Nicole’s statement as she plucked a bottle of whiskey off incinerator-man’s corpse. Nicole chuckled and noticed the black stetson on the body of the man with the brass knuckles. 

_“I mean, it’s not like he’s gonna need it,”_ Nicole reasoned with herself. After a moment of hesitation, she snatched the hat and set it atop her own head. She also noticed a 9mm pistol in his pocket, along with some ammo, and hastily grabbed these items as well. Just in case. 

“Looking good, cowboy,” Wynonna said approvingly at the hat as Nicole strolled over to meet her. “And uh- you’re not a bad shot,” she added with a shrug. Nicole raised a bemused eyebrow but decided not to tease the other girl for the compliment, sensing that compliments weren’t easily handed out with Wynonna. 

Together, the girls cut through the casino floor to push their way into a set of double doors, presumably where the sheriff was being held. Nicole breathed a sigh of relief at the revelation that they were correct as the hunched over form of Randy Nedley came into view. He was sat on his knees and, aside from his apparent discomfort with his hands bound behind his back, he seemed to be in no other state of distress. He lifted his head at the sound of the doors being kicked open and said, in a tired voice, “I don’t suppose you’re here to rescue me?” 

“Sheriff Nedley?” Nicole asked, not that she needed the confirmation as he was so obviously the hostage they had been looking for. 

“In the flesh,” Nedley stated. “I’d really appreciate it if you could untie me.”

“Not so fast,” Wynonna interjected even though Nicole was already kneeling down to help him. The redhead awkwardly straightened up and took a step back. “I hear you may have information on the man in the fur coat who came through a few days ago,” Wynonna said, pointing her gun at Nedley. 

“Oh, you mean Bobo Del Rey?” Nedley asked, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. Wynonna groaned. 

“No, nooo, you are not _telling_ me I got shot in the head by a guy named _Bobo_ ,” Wynonna whined. 

“Shot in the head!?” Nicole and Nedley asked at the same time, incredulous. 

“Yes, Nicole, I was shot in the head,” Wynonna confirmed, with an ample amount of snark. “Shot in the head and left to die in a shallow grave. Hi, I’m Wynonna Earp, nice to meet’cha.”

“Well that explains a lot. And I guess the name ‘Bobo’ isn’t so funny to you now, huh?” Nicole quipped, earning a sock to the arm from Wynonna. 

“Look, I don’t think it’s asking too much for you to let me go,” Nedley pleaded. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know, just please untie me.”

“We’ll free you,” Nicole promised.

“Ah ah, first you gotta tell me where Bobo was headed,” Wynonna said sharply. 

“Why do you _care_?” Nicole sighed impatiently. 

“Because. I’m going after him.”

Nicole opened her mouth to tell Wynonna how _batshit insane_ she sounded when Nedley cut in with, “Look, I can’t confirm this, but I think I overheard his lackeys saying he was headed for Novac. Not sure what exactly he would want-”

“ _Fuck-_ ” Nicole jumped as Wynonna shouted and kicked a nearby wall. She stomped back over to Nedley and squatted down so that they were face to face. “I need you to be 100% _fucking_ sure they said Novac,” she growled. 

“Yeah, yeah, that’s what they said,” Nedley assured her. “What’s the goddamn deal?” 

“None of your business,” Wynonna snapped, hiding her obvious temperament with the grace of finally cutting Nedley free. “Alright Haught, your turn.” 

* * *

After a brief explanation of the events that took place in Nipton, Nedley graciously agreed to accompany her back to town for back up. Nicole wasn’t sure if there would be any other survivors, or worse, if the Cult of Bulshar would still be there, so she felt better taking Nedley with her. There was only one problem:

“I can’t leave Primm without a sheriff,” Nedley said, regrettably. “With these Revenant guys around, it’s really not a good time to be leaving this place lawless. Now, if you can find a temporary sheriff to take my place while I’m gone, I won’t have a problem stepping away to Nipton with you.” 

“Alright,” Nicole sighed. “Do you have any recommendations?” 

“Ask around Vikki and Vance,” Nedley advised, pointing in the direction of the unnamed casino building from before. “Juan Carlo sometimes hangs out in there too, so if you can’t find anyone willing to step up, ask if he has any leads on a temporary sheriff.”

And so Wynonna and Nicole strolled into Vikki and Vance. Upon entering, they saw Juan Carlo leaning against a slot machine by the door. He raised his hand in greeting as he recognized the two. 

“Glad to see you both still alive,” he said by way of greeting. He nodded at Wynonna. “Never did get to finish our conversation from before by the way. Might’ve remembered a few things while you were gone.”

“Yeah?” Wynonna leaned forward in anticipation. 

“I’ve been thinking about the delivery order you showed me before and boy, did that job have strange written all over it.”

“How so?” Nicole asked out of curiosity, not entirely sure what the two were talking about but hoping more would be revealed the more questions she asked. 

“Well, the little lady who ordered the job had us hire six couriers. Each was carrying something a little different. A pair of gloves, a necklace, that kind of stuff. Last word I had from the office, it looked like payment had been received for the other five jobs. Guess it was just your ring that didn’t make it. First deadbeat we hired for the job cancelled. Hope a storm from the Divide skins him alive. Well, that’s where you came in,” Juan Carlo added. 

“He cancelled?” Wynonna questioned.

“Yeah, got this look when he saw you next down on the Courier list. His expression turned right around, asked me if your name was for real. I said, sure as lack of rain, you were still kicking. Then he turned down the job, just like that. I asked if he was sure, it was good money. No, let ‘Courier Six’ carry the package, that’s what he said- like the Mojave’d sort you out or something. Then he just up and walked out.”

“Do you know who he was?” asked Nicole.

“And where he went?” Wynonna added, ignoring the look Nicole gave her at this. 

“No idea,” Juan Carlo said helplessly. “Sounds like you two had a history for him to act like that. And turn down the money, too. Hope he didn’t see any trouble in that package of yours. Maybe he thought your name was cursed or something. Not for me to say.” 

“Well, thanks for letting us know,” Nicole was surprised to hear the expression of gratitude coming out of Wynonna’s mouth, unaware that it was capable of such a thing. 

“No problem,” Juan Carlo said. Then he turned to Nicole. “Anything I can help you with, little lady?”

“Right, Nedley needs a temporary replacement while he helps me out with the situation in Nipton. Got any recommendations?” 

“Well, let’s see here…” Juan Carlo thought for a moment. “I heard some of them there Revenants talking about someone in the prison named Meyers who has some experience as a sheriff. He may be a good choice.”

“No way, uh uh, we are _not_ taking a recommendation from a goddamn _Revenant_ ,” Wynonna stated firmly. 

“Well, you could always talk to one of them Black Badge folks, get them to take over the town. Not sure why they haven’t helped out already,” Juan Carlo grumbled. 

“I ran into one of those guys on my way into town,” Nicole recalled. “Not the most helpful bunch…”

“Weeeeell, I don’t know what else to tell you girls, those are about our only few options,” Juan Carlo shrugged. He then jerked his thumb over to a robot who was milling about the casino. “Unless one of you is real handy and can rewire ol’ Slim over there.” 

Nicole peeked over at the robot. He appeared to be wearing a cowboy hat similar to the one she was wearing and was spouting trivia about the casino’s origins to anyone who would listen. 

“Howdy partner! Welcome to the Vikki and Vance Casino and Museum,” the robot greeted as the pair approached. “Primm Slim at your service! Authentic cowpoke and official spokesbot of the Vikki and Vance Casino and Museum! Yee-haw!”

“What do you think, Wynonna?” Nicole asked, biting back a laugh at the cheesiness of it all.

“Eh, I think he’d make good target practice,” Wynonna shrugged. Nicole shook her head and turned her attention back to the robot. 

“Who were Vikki and Vance?”

“Where have you been, partner? Hiding under a rock?” the robot asked with as much surprise as an entity without feelings could manage. “Vikki and Vance were this nation’s fourth or maybe fifth most infamous celebrity outlaw couple ever, that’s who they was! Primm Slim here can tell you the whole story, if you can spare a minute to hear the tale.” 

“Pass! Gonna need more whiskey for that,” Wynonna groaned. 

“Uhh, that’s alright,” Nicole declined, not particularly in the mood for a history lesson either. Unfortunately, Slim took her reply as an affirmative and launched into a whole story about the two bank robbing lovers the casino was named after. 

“God, where’s the off button on this guy?” Wynonna whined. 

Nicole, who felt a bit responsible for the impromptu history lesson, fumbled around the robot’s back until her fingers felt a button. Slim’s voice eventually faded away as Nicole hit the button and he powered down. Next to the button was a panel, presumably where they could hack into his programming...or something. Nicole was hopeless with this stuff. 

“I don’t suppose you’d know how to reprogram a robot to be a sheriff?” she asked her companion, who was now taking a swig from the bottle of whiskey she had lifted off the dead body from before. 

“Not a clue,” Wynonna replied, to which Nicole sighed and hung her head. Wynonna then rummaged around in her backpack and tossed Nicole a robotics magazine. “This might help though.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wanna send me some anon hate, I'm Haught_potato on tumblr


	3. You're Wearing My Clothes and Using My Bullets

“No, that’s the blue wire, we’re supposed to attach the red wire to that other thingy,” Nicole grumbled, slapping Wynonna’s hand away. The two had been studying a faded diagram from the back of the robotics magazine for about thirty minutes now. Seeing as they had no clue what they were doing, the endeavor was going about as well as one would expect. 

“Oh yeah genius, then what’s- oh, no, you’re right,” Wynonna submitted, taking another look at the diagram. “Oh oh,  _ but,  _ you’ve definitely got that yellow wire in the wrong spot, dingus.”

“Score one, Wynonna,” Nicole muttered as she moved the yellow wire to the correct spot. She regarded the diagram once more. “You got a conductor in that bag of yours? Looks like we’ll be needing one of those. A fission battery too.” 

“Let’s see…” Wynonna drawled as she dumped the contents of her backpack on the ground. A concerning number of empty bottles of whiskey tumbled out, as well as a few other magazines, a couple of snack cakes, and a bundle of dynamite. Wynonna reached further into her bag and triumphantly emerged holding a fission battery aloft. “Got the battery. No luck on the conductor though. Might have to ask around for one of those.”

“Perfect,” Nicole sighed, deciding then to change her attitude and use this as a chance to stretch her legs and explore the casino a bit. She strolled over to the far back of the casino where a set of double doors led to some sort of back room. She pushed her way into the room, not noticing anything special aside from a safe sitting in a pile of rubble. She played with the bobby pins in her pocket, curious if she could unlock this safe as well. She grappled with the morality of this move, seeing as the safe technically belonged to the casino. Casting a quick look around, she eventually decided that, if no one  _ saw _ her do it, then it was alright. Before she could lose her nerve, she knelt down and started working on the safe.

It didn’t take her long to crack it; it certainly easier than the lock on the safe in Bison Steve’s. The door opened with a slight creak, revealing a few boxes of ammo, a couple of stimpacks, and a handful of caps. Nicole swept all of the loot out of the safe, wishing she had a bag like Wynonna did. She made a mental note to ask Wynonna to hold her stuff for her until they made it back to Nipton. 

“ _ Back home, _ ” Nicole corrected herself, gut wrenching at the thought of returning to the pile of dead bodies and burnt buildings. What kind of home was she returning to? The only family she had in the world was now laying dead in those ruins, and the weight of that loss hadn’t quite hit Nicole until then. She collapsed on the floor, chest heaving with sobs. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed in that position, crying her eyes out, she only knows it’s been long enough when a hesitant hand settles on her shoulder. 

“Hey...it’s alright,” comes Wynonna’s voice, laced with a mix of confusion and discomfort with this display of emotion. “You don’t have to cry, I found a conductor.”

“They’re all dead,” Nicole croaks thickly in her despair. Wynonna nods slowly at that, as if she can relate. 

“I...I know. Listen, I’ve lost some people too. I kinda get where your head’s at. It’ll be alright, Haught, I’m with you.” Wynonna leans in and says this next part a bit hesitantly, “how about this...as soon as I’m done tracking down the dipshits who shot me in the head, I’ll help you find the dipshits who raided your town. C’mon Haught, there’s nothing better for your grief than a good old fashioned revenge quest.”

“I don’t want revenge…” Nicole mumbled, now too numb to cry. 

“Then what do you want?” Comes the question Nicole was hoping Wynonna wouldn’t ask. 

“I want…” Nicole pushes herself into a sitting position. “I want to get up off this floor.” Wynonna grins at this statement and pops back onto her feet, holding out a hand to help Nicole do the same. “And I want to reprogram this goddamn robot.” 

* * *

  
  


“Ow-  _ fuck _ , if this little bitch shocks me  _ one more time _ -” Wynonna curses, sticking her offended finger in her mouth. 

Nicole sighs. “I think we might’ve connected the wrong wire to that thingy-a-ma-bob over there,” she speculated, not bothering with the correct terminology. 

“Knock yourself out, just don’t mess with that nasty blue wire,” Wynonna says bitterly. 

Nicole unhooks a black wire from its place on some sort of component and reattaches it to another...component. She’s completely working in the dark here, and she jumps back in shock when Slim whirs back to life. The robot makes a loud buzzing noise before turning to her. 

“Law Enforcement Protocols reinstated, partner. Initializing use of force authorization...authorization found. Yee-haw!”

“Holy  _ shit _ ,” Wynonna breathes. “Haught, you glorious ginger bitch, you did it!”

“ _ Finally _ ,” Nicole laughs. She didn’t know how badly she needed a win, considering all she’d been through in the past few hours. A wave of victory hit her, along with a wave of exhaustion. Between being awoken by the man in leather in the dead of night, making the trip up to Primm, saving the sheriff from a hostage situation, sobbing her eyes out on the floor of a casino, and reprogramming a strange robot, she hadn’t had time to rest. Or eat. Or change out of her blood stained clothes. “I say we find a place to settle down for a bit and then tell Sheriff Nedley the good news,” Nicole suggested. 

“Agreed, I’m starving,” Wynonna said, her stomach choosing that moment to growl rather loudly, as if to prove her point. 

“I found a few caps in the safe in the back,” Nicole said. “It wasn’t much, but it might be enough to get us something to eat. And uh...I hate to ask you for this favor but I wouldn’t suppose you had any spare clothes in your bag that I could borrow? Mine are kind of...ruined…”

“Yeah, you don’t say. You look like baby’s first period,” Wynonna snorted. “I have a spare pair of pants and a shirt that would fit you. I’ll even throw in a jacket if you’re paying for dinner.”

“Deal.” Nicole sighed in relief at the prospect of getting out of those blood stained clothes. If she could find some non-irradiated water to wash the dried blood off her face, she’d be in heaven. But one step at a time. 

* * *

After surrendering her caps over to Juan Carlo in exchange for a box of sugar bombs, Nicole traded the box with Wynonna, who gave her a bundle of clothes. She excused herself to the bathroom to go change. The pants Wynonna had given her were a bit tight, but Nicole was in no position to complain. The shirt she had given her fit perfectly, however. She then pulled on the denim hoodie Wynonna had provided her, taking a moment to inhale its scent. She expected it to smell like whiskey and gunpowder, kind of like Wynonna. Instead she found herself getting hints of a faint floral scent mixed with...vanilla? And yeah, the slight hint of cigarette smoke; it did come out of Wynonna’s bag after all. 

After she was done changing she deposited her dirty clothes into a beat up old trash can by the door. It was with a heavy heart she did so, but those clothes were pretty much unsalvageable due to all the blood stains. They would only be a reminder of what she’d lost that day. 

She scanned the casino floor for Wynonna, but was unable to find her. Assuming she’d left the building to search around for somewhere to hunker down for the night, Nicole exited the casino. The sun had dipped down below the mountains, nighttime bringing a cool air along with it. She couldn’t believe it was nighttime  _ again _ . How had almost an entire day passed since the massacre? 

She eventually found Wynonna sitting cross legged on the edge of an old mattress in the wreckage of the building behind the Mojave Outpost. She cringed, imagining all the different hazardous substances on that mattress. 

“Wynonna, get up offa that thing, you don’t know where it’s been,” Nicole chided. 

“Relax, Haught sauce,” Wynonna scoffed. She touched her nose down to the mattress. “Smells fine to me. Besides, it looks like this is where we’re sleeping tonight, seeing as there isn’t a finer mattress in all of Primm as free for the taking. Emphasis on  _ free _ ...” 

Nicole groaned, the reality of Wynonna’s statement dissolving all of her hang ups about this mattress. Beggars really couldn’t be choosers. She took a seat next to Wynonna on the mattress, looking on the bright side of things that the mattress seemed roomy enough that she wouldn’t have to sleep too close to Wynonna. The thought of spooning her emotionally constipated companion through the night was too awkward to even consider.

Wynonna bumped her shoulder against Nicole’s as the redhead dipped her hand into the box of sugar bombs. She wasn’t surprised to find that Wynonna had polished off most of the box in her absence. Still, there was enough left for Nicole and that was good enough for her. As the sugary cereal hit her tongue, she couldn’t repress the moan she let out at the taste of the only food she’d had to eat all day. Wynonna wordlessly passed her a bottle of nuka cola, which Nicole eagerly accepted. The drink, which she usually found mediocre at best, was like heaven on her parched throat. She grabbed another fistful of cereal, washing it down with the soda. 

“Feel better?” Wynonna asked. Nicole nodded. 

“Definitely. Clean clothes and some food and drink will do that to you. By the way, you’re probably not gonna get this jacket back, just thought you should know,” Nicole teased. 

“Uh, the fuck I won’t,” Wynonna snorted. “You take care of that thing, it’s technically my sister’s.”

“You have a sister?” Nicole asked, flopping back on the mattress. She hadn’t really had time to ponder Wynonna’s background. She thought back to when Wynonna had comforted her back in the casino when she said she’d lost family too. 

“Yeah, my little sister. Waverly…” When Wynonna said her name, her voice was laced with regret. “She lives in Novac with my Aunt Gus…”

“Oh.  _ Ooh _ -” Nicole said as she connected the dots. “That’s why you were so upset before…”

“Yeah, that,” Wynonna mumbled. “I don’t want the asshole who shot me in the same place as my sister. Hell, I don’t even want him on the same  _ planet _ as my sister.” She lifted her gun and stared at it as she spoke. “That’s why I have to find him, so I can wipe his sorry ass out of existence.” 

“And then what?” Nicole asked. 

“And then...I get back to my life before. Guarding caravans...mercenary work...probably not courier jobs anymore.” She knocked on her head. “Had a bad experience. Alright Haught shot, same question, back to you. What’s next, after you get back to Nipton?”

“I dunno…” Nicole whispered, the sugar bombs now heavy in her stomach. “I dunno what we’re gonna find when we get back there...Judging from the slaughter...there’s not a whole lot to return to…” 

“You should come with me,” Wynonna said suddenly.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, come with me,” Wynonna said with dead certainty in her voice. 

“What, to wherever Bobo is going?” Nicole asked doubtfully. Wynonna nodded. 

“Yeah. You gotta stick around long enough to watch me put a bullet in this motherfucker. Might feel good for you to pump some lead into the shitstain yourself.”

“I told you, I’m not into your little revenge scheme,” Nicole sighed. 

“Oh come on red, it’s more than that. You and I make a pretty good team,” Wynonna said delicately. “At least, I think we do. Remember us kicking ass in Bison Steve’s?”

“Dude, that was like three hours ago, how would I not remember that?”

“Look, Haught stuff, I don’t think I can do this without you. I know I just met you but...it’s not everyday you run into a friendly stranger in the wastes. Ordinarily I wouldn’t shackle myself to someone as uptight as you-”

“Hey!” Nicole protested. 

“- _ but _ , aside from my sister, you’re all I’ve got,” Wynonna finished. “Plus you’re wearing my clothes and using my bullets...so you kinda owe me.”

“I don’t know...maybe…” Nicole said noncommittally. “It all depends on what we find at Nipton.”

“Then I better make sure you get to Nipton,” Wynonna nodded.

“And maybe on the way I can explain to you why following the leader of a gang who  _ shot you in the head _ is a really dumb move for  _ so many reasons _ -”

“I’m gonna skip a few steps here and tell you to  _ bite me _ ,” Wynonna said, flipping Nicole off. 

“And hey, maybe if I do end up following you to Novac, I can ask Waverly what kind of soap she uses, cause I’m kind of digging the way this hoodie smells.” 

“Alright, creeper,” Wynonna said, rolling her eyes. “As long as you stay out of my sister’s panty drawer, you can ask her all the questions you want.”


	4. Something Bad

“Alright girls, we’ll be coming up on Nipton pretty soon here,” Nedley said from behind the giant prewar roadmap he was studying. Nicole could have told him that, seeing as she was from Nipton and surely she would be able to find her way back home, but Nedley had insisted on using the map. Whether their ETA was news to Wynonna remained a mystery as the former courier seemed far more interested in the Fancy Lads Snack Cake in her hand. Nedley had made the mistake of asking for a bite earlier and quickly learned why it was a very bad idea to get in between Wynonna and her 200-year-old baked goods.

Even though his navigation by outdated map was slightly irritating, Nicole still found comfort in the sheriff’s company. None of them knew who or what they would encounter on the way back to Nicole’s hometown, so they had all made sure to depart with an ample supply of ammo and medical supplies. Nedley had even gifted Nicole with an old holster of his, which made the redhead feel 100% more secure with Lucky strapped to her hip. The 9mm pistol shoved in the waistband of her jeans for emergencies added an extra layer of security. All in all, she couldn’t feel more prepared to take on whatever wasteland horrors that may lay ahead. 

Such preparation may have been overkill, however, for the wasteland seemed to have nothing in store for them on that day. It shouldn’t have surprised Nicole, who had run along this very road in the dead of night with nothing stopping her, but the lack of nocturnal wasteland creatures trying to finish her off hadn’t exactly been on her list of priorities. 

Nicole took a long swig from her drinking canteen as the sun beat down harshly on the trio. She found herself wishing one of them had had the wisdom to have suggested they depart for Nipton during one of the two times a day the sun makes itself scarce, but alas they decided to leave bright and early that morning. And, as such, the sun was their biggest enemy that afternoon as they trekked the Mojave Wasteland. 

“Really  _ Haught _ out here, eh guys?” snickered Wynonna, who, out of the three of them, seemed to be the least bothered by the heat index. Nicole wondered if that was a product of Wynonna’s trips back and forth across the Mojave. 

“Are we ever going to hear the end of the crude jokes at my expense?” sighed an exasperated Nicole. “I mean...they’re not even that  _ clever _ …”

Wynonna gasped, placing a scandalized hand over her heart. “How  _ dare _ you? My jokes are top of the line, madam! People  _ love _ my jokes. Nedley, back me up here. You thought it was funny, right?”

“I’m sorry, when exactly did you say something that was meant to be funny?” he asked distractedly, his head still buried in that damn map. Wynonna scowled as Nicole did an extremely bad job at hiding her amusement at the old man’s cheek. Suddenly the group walked uphill past a familiar billboard and Nicole’s smirk slid right off her face. 

Nedley awkwardly folded his map and shoved it into his back pocket. He didn’t need it anymore; the town of Nipton was now in sight, as well as the tall plumes of smoke that rose from its ruins. Wynonna opened her mouth to speak, but eventually gave up when she found herself at a loss for words. Nicole fixed a determined expression on her face and pressed on, ready to face whatever lay ahead. 

* * *

The group walked until they met the gates of Nipton, which were now flanked by two blood red banners which both bore the image of a snake: the symbol of Bulshar’s Legion. Past the gates, the path was lined by spikes speared into the ground, each bearing the head of a victim of the massacre. Nicole recognized the head of Mr. Duvall, her neighbor. He owned an extensive pre-war book collection and generously allowed Nicole to borrow whatever book she wanted, provided that it was returned in mint condition and a timely fashion. She thought back to the book of poems she had borrowed from him just last week. She’d been meaning to discuss her thoughts on one particular excerpt, but she had been caught up with other things and just hadn’t had the time. Now she never would. 

They proceeded further into town, noting little horrors here and there; the broken windows, the frames of houses that had become completely demolished, the flames flickering on random piles of refuse. Nipton had certainly seen better days. For Nicole, it was simultaneously unrecognizable yet oh so familiar, like looking at an old friend who had changed almost too much in the time you spent apart. She’d only been gone a few days but the town she called home was nothing more than a memory in the presence of the wasteland she surveyed now with teary eyes. 

They searched everywhere, from town hall to the dusty old motel shack, but there was no sign of either lingering cult members nor other survivors. Nicole was trying to do the math in her head, trying to figure out if there had in fact been other survivors who had just decided to make themselves scarce, but everyone she had come to know in this town was accounted for. She turned helplessly to Nedley, seeking guidance in the weathered sheriff. 

“What do we do now?”

Nedley fiddled with the hat in his hands, fingers tracing the star like he was ashamed of his words bringing disgrace upon it. “Well, there’s no survivors, no signs of the bastards who did this...not much we  _ can  _ do...I suppose we can put out a bulletin against this Cult of Bulshar, find out where they’re headed...maybe stop them before they terrorize another town...that’s about the best we can do,” he finished with remorseful eyes. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help…” 

Nicole swallowed past the lump in her throat. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting when she came back, but she sure as hell never imagined it hurting this bad. It was painful enough, knowing everyone was dead, but  _ seeing _ it was another level she was not prepared for. The sight, the smell, it all sickened her to her core. She just couldn’t understand  _ why _ this had happened. What had they done that was so terrible that they all had to die? 

Nipton had its fair share of problems, and these problems were only exacerbated ever since Mayor Steyn had taken over. The town had become a hub for prostitutes and thieves but there were also hard-working families who just wanted a respite from the unforgiving wasteland outside the walls. As the town’s reputation slowly grew to be more and more of a disgrace, people began to leave. But the people who had lived there all their lives, people like the Haughts and Mr. Duvall, they refused. The image of Mayor Steyn on the cross had been haunting her ever since that fateful night. Her opinion of him hadn’t changed; he was still a crook and he deserved to pay for his crimes against the town. She had watched as the bastard had allowed those rotten Revenants into town ever since the big prison break, hating the man in the pockets of the Revenants with each cocky thug who swaggered in to cause trouble. Still, as she had stood in that crowd, watching as that same man was crucified and killed, it hadn’t felt like justice. She always imagined him being carted away in chains, his future replaced with a life sentence behind bars. This ending, the one where he’s slaughtered moments before the people he screwed over were slaughtered too? It felt cheap, hollow. It was just senseless violence with no lesson. 

Nedley excused himself, mumbling something about doing another sweep of the perimeter to get a sense of which direction the cult was headed. Nicole was barely listening, too caught up in her grief to focus on what else could be done. Now that she had seen the damage with her own eyes, the town seemed like a lost cause. One thing was certain: she couldn’t stay here any longer. Wynonna had disappeared from her side a little while ago, so Nicole started in the direction she last saw her. On instinct, her feet carried her down a familiar path until she was standing at the front door of her family’s home. 

Without really thinking about it, she pushed the door open, her eyes immediately landing on her father’s bloody corpse.  _ Oh god _ she had forgotten he was still there. She was unable to move from her frozen position in the doorway, just staring at the body. He was facedown on the floor, so she couldn’t quite see the face she knew so well. She was almost glad she couldn’t see it. Would she be able to see his face like that? Eventually the shock dimmed and she was able to move again. Carefully she stepped around the body and slipped into the bedroom her family shared. 

Homes in Nipton were never meant for a family of five, so the room was a tiny bit cramped with its accommodations. While sharing the room with her family had left her wishing for a bit more privacy more than once, each individual Haught child had their own little storage locker tucked in the corner that was meant for their belongings with the mutual understanding that no one else was allowed in their things. Nicole retrieved a small leather bag from within her locker and began sorting through the things she couldn’t leave home without. She packed a few outfits most suited for the wastes, adding in a few books, a stack of photographs, and her life’s savings of bottle caps. Then, with an overwhelming feeling of guilt, she cracked open her dad’s gun cabinet where she knew he kept an assortment of ammo. The rounds he had were unfortunately incompatible with the guns she was using, but she grabbed them anyways in case Wynonna could use them. It was about time she started giving back, anyways. With that, she made her way into the kitchen to see if there were any spare bottles of whiskey she could snag as a gift to the brunette. 

After she had grabbed a bottle of whiskey and all the non perishable food items she could cram into her bag, she decided she had everything she needed. Sparing one backwards glance at her father, she finally left home for the last time.

In the time she had spent in the shade of her home, the sun had only intensified, momentarily blinding her. She set off to find Wynonna, who was sitting on the steps of town hall as if she were waiting for her. Her look was full of concern as Nicole approached, her eyes catching on the fully stocked backpack the redhead was now toting. 

“I see you’ve got your own cargo now,” Wynonna chuckled awkwardly. “Glad I don’t have to carry your crap around anymore…” 

“A little token of my appreciation,” Nicole said, rolling her eyes as she extracted the bottle of whiskey from her bag and pressed it into Wynonna’s hand. The brunette looked delighted, and Nicole passed over her spare ammo as well. 

“Aw, Haught, you’re the best,” Wynonna breathed as she accepted the gifts. 

“Well, I figured I’d say thank you for having my back these last few days. Honestly, it’s nice to have a friend out here, especially now when-” Nicole’s breath caught in her throat as she couldn’t bear voicing what had become of the town. “...well, anyways. I uh- I was wondering if your previous offer still stands...maybe you still wanted company on the road to Novac?” 

“Yeah?” Wynonna asked with hopeful eyes. She quickly morphed her face into one of disinterest. “I mean, yeah, sure whatever…if you think you can handle yourself out there in the wastes...”

Nicole chuckled, then switched into a more serious tone. A thought had been working its way through her head, a crazy thought to be completely honest, but a thought that had nonetheless been nagging her ever since she stepped into town. “Wynonna...I think something really bad is going to happen, and soon.”

Wynonna nodded. “Yeah...I mean, it’s like this... _ feeling _ that’s in the air. I feel it too.” 

“I don’t know what’s going on but...I feel like it has everything to do with whatever you were carrying that night Bobo shot you.” 

The brunette frowned, clearly racking her brain for anything she could remember about that job. “I really don’t get the obsession,” Wynonna complained. “It was just a stupid ring. It was kind of ugly, really. Definitely wouldn’t be worth much to any vendor you’d come across in the Mojave, even if you spray painted it gold.”

“Exactly, so why murder a random courier for a ring? I think, whatever that ring is, it’s really important, and we need to figure out why Bobo wanted it so bad.” 

“I agree. But first, we really gotta get our asses to Novac. I do  _ not _ want that scumbag around my sister. As soon as I make sure she’s safe, we go hunt down that motherfucker. And after  _ that _ we’re gonna hunt down Bulshar’s little fan club and punch every last one of them in the dick.” 

“I like that plan,” Nicole chuckled. 

“Stick with me, I’m chock full of em.”

“Ooookay. Sure, you’re full of  _ somethin’ _ alright…” Fired back a dubious Nicole. 

“Hey!”

* * *

The girls bid farewell to Nedley, who assured them that he would be able to make it back to Primm safely. He promised he would spread the word of the atrocities Bulshar’s Legion had committed, and with that he set off on his way home. Nicole and Wynonna turned in the opposite direction and made their way past the train tracks on the edge of town. 

“It’s a long walk to Novac,” Wynonna mentioned. “But I know the way pretty well, so just stick with me and we’ll be there in no time. Y’know, if we don’t kill each other first.” 

“Seems like a lot to ask but alright,” Nicole quipped, feeling good. She knew Novac was a little more than a skip and a hop away, but she was glad she didn’t have to go it alone. She’d never actually been to Novac, though she had always wanted to visit. Really, she yearned to see the world outside the walls of Nipton, and while she had braved a few trips out into the wastes with her parents, she still felt as though she had only experienced a small fraction of what the world had to offer. She wanted adventure, and even though the adventure the world had thrust upon her wasn’t exactly what she would have dreamed of, she still took it. 

And so the pair marched into the wasteland, treading the path that wove itself between two mountains. Both girls were huffing and puffing by the time they made it to the top of the incline, so they stopped to catch their breath by an overturned cargo truck. 

“Damn, I haven’t been this breathless since my last night on The Strip,” Wynonna said as she waggled her eyebrows. “Emphasis on  _ strip _ …”

“Gross, I do  _ not _ want to hear about that,” Nicole complained. Wynonna clapped her on the shoulder. 

“Seriously, we gotta hit The Strip sometime, you and me. I know a fella who’d really rock your world. No offense but you reek of someone who needs to get laid.”

“ _ Seriously _ , not interested,” Nicole replied, crinkling her nose. 

“C’mon Haughty. It couldn’t hurt to let a professional go poking around your  _ “vault”  _ at least once.” 

Nicole was about to decline once more, when a bullet came out of nowhere and buried itself into the ground at her feet. Both girls ducked behind the truck as another bullet kicked up a cloud of dirt three feet away. There was a pause, in which Wynonna peeked around the truck to see who was shooting at them, almost losing an eyeball as a shot ricocheted off the metal frame. 

“Looks like it’s high noon,” Wynonna grumbled as she drew her gun. 

Nicole was checking that all chambers of her gun were loaded for the incoming struggle when another smattering of bullets hit the cargo truck from another direction. It was an ambush. 

“You go right, I’ll go left,” Nicole advised Wynonna, who nodded. 

“Stay alive, Haught.” 

After a beat, Nicole erupted from her hiding place behind the cargo truck to face her attacker. She could see him up on a ledge on the mountain above her. She took a couple shots at him as he loaded another magazine into his rifle, but none of them struck. A shriek tumbled past her lips as she felt one of his bullets graze too close past her shoulder. Deciding that enough was enough, she squared her shoulders, planted her feet firmly, and fired a shot at the man’s chest. There was a moment of triumph as the bullet hit, followed by a moment of guilt. How many people had she killed in the past few days? Granted, they were kind of shitty people and they were trying to kill  _ her _ too, but Nicole never thought of herself as a very violent person. The moral implications were too complex for her to contemplate, so she shook her head and decided to put it out of her mind. She would do what she had to to survive. 

* * *

“So did you grow up in Novac?” The winding road was indeed a long one, and the sun was most unforgiving that day, so the pair was taking a break under the shade of an old billboard. In true wasteland fashion, the billboard was graffiti’d with the words “let it all end”. Underneath, someone else had written “quit your whining”. 

Wynonna pondered the question Nicole had asked her, taking a brief swig from her whiskey bottle. “Not exactly. My family is actually from a town called Purgatory. Our family had lived there for generations. But then,” Wynonna paused, frowning. “Uh- my dad and sister died. So Waverly and I had to move in with our Aunt Gus in Novac.” 

Nicole nodded. She wanted to ask more questions about her family, but she could tell that Wynonna was closed off about the topic, so she decided not to pry. “Did you like it in Novac?” 

“It was alright, I guess,” Wynonna shrugged with her gaze locked firmly on the horizon. “Gus lived on a scrapyard so basically our lives were just helping her out with that and that’s it. It’s not a very exciting town. Waverly seemed to like it there well enough since, again, it’s a pretty quiet town and she’s always got her nose stuck in a book, but I was bored out of my mind. So when I turned eighteen I packed my shit and left for good.”

“Wait, you mean you haven’t been back ever since?” Nicole asked. Wynonna looked to be about twenty-five, same as her, and seven years was a long time to be away from home. 

“Haven’t been back ever since,” Wynonna confirmed, lifting her bottle. “So it’s possible that Waverly and Gus  _ miiiiiight _ be a little pissed at me…” 

“You could play the whole ‘shot-in-the-head’ card for sympathy,” Nicole suggested.

“Are you kidding? Dude, they’d never let me leave,” Wynonna groaned. 

“So I guess I shouldn’t bring up your plan to go after a homicidal maniac either?”

“Yeah, maybe just let me do the talking once we get there,” Wynonna mumbled. She drained whatever was left in her bottle, tossed it to the side, and stood. “C’mon, sun’s getting low. If we don’t get going now, we won’t get there til nightfall.” 

Nicole pushed herself up into a standing position and checked to make sure her gun was still sitting securely in its holster. The two fell into step on the long, bare road in a comfortable silence. After a while, Wynonna suddenly stopped, drawing her gun. 

“What?” Nicole asked sharply, drawing her own gun. 

“Did you hear that?”

Nicole strained her ears, listening for any other sound than her own breathing. She was about to tell Wynonna that she didn’t hear anything, when there came a slight shuffling noise from behind a nearby boulder. Both girls turned to the source of the sound, guns locked and loaded. There came another, sharper sound, followed by the distinct fluttering of wings as the source of the noise emerged from its hiding spot. 

“Oh my fuck and goddamn it,” Wynonna cursed, and Nicole agreed, for they were now staring at a fully grown cazador. Immediately, the two began firing at the giant insect. Angry buzzing filled the air as the cazador flitted around, missing every shot. Nicole groaned as she fired off her sixth shot, hands plunging into her pockets for more ammo to reload. The cazador had other plans for her, it seemed, as it flew far too close for her liking. In a moment of panic, she pulled her 9mm pistol from her waistband and fired off a warning shot. It didn’t hit the cazador, of course, but it did encourage it to back off. A few feet away, Wynonna was trying her best to get a hit on the cazador. The insect was buzzing like crazy now, obviously enraged by their collective attempt on its life. 

Nicole was desperately reloading her gun as fast as she could with how shaky her hands had become. It was on the final bullet in the chamber that she saw the cazador coming right at her. She flinched, holding up her arm in self defense and screamed out in pain as the cazador plunged its stinger into her flesh. She staggered on her feet before falling to her knees. Suddenly the world was sideways, and Wynonna was screaming. She saw the cazador fall to the ground, dead at last, before the world went black. 

* * *

Nicole emerged from the inky blackness several hours later in a bed that was not her own. She cracked her eyes open, taking in the scene around her. She appeared to be in some sort of garage. The mattress underneath her groaned as she sat up. Her head was pounding in the worst way, but she pushed through the discomfort to take a proper look at where she had ended up. Judging from the metal walls and the concrete floor, she was definitely in a garage. If that weren’t enough to give it away, the scraps of metal and various toolboxes strewn about certainly got the point across. 

Now with a vague idea of where she might be, she wondered where Wynonna was. She heard the muffled argument between two sets of voices in the next room over and placed her bet that one of the voices belonged to her whiskey-soaked companion. The bed groaned once more, louder this time, as she moved to stand up. It seemed like the racket she was making had claimed the attention of the people behind the door, who immediately fell silent at the noise. Suddenly the door swung open. 

“Wynonna?” she asked blankly, her pounding head momentarily blurring her vision. She rubbed her eyes, and she realized she was wrong. 

“No,” says the figure in the doorway. “I’m Wynonna’s sister, Waverly.” 


	5. Add It To The Tab

There was this picture in one of the books Nicole had growing up that showed the image of a sun rising over the mountains. Nicole had seen a sunrise before but never like this; the trees in the image were so lush, so green. The sky was a pleasant gradient of pinks, oranges, and yellows, and the flowers in the forefront of the picture were unlike any flowers Nicole had ever come across. She had asked her dad about it, who explained that that was what the world looked like before the bombs fell. She remembers frowning at that, suddenly crushed that she wasn’t born into a world where views like the one in the book existed anymore. She stared at that image obsessively from that day on, until that fateful afternoon a few years later when her younger brother spilled nuka-cola all over the page, effectively ruining it as the paper warped and stained. Nicole had wanted to kill him. He had just destroyed her favorite picture in the entire world. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Until she laid eyes on Waverly Earp. 

Nicole briefly wondered if she’d actually died and gone to heaven as she took in the girl in the doorway. She’s a vision if Nicole’s ever seen one, with long, flowing brown hair and the most gorgeous hazel eyes. She’s quite petite, and she’s dressed in a simple floral patterned dress that couldn’t have been found in the wasteland. Maybe she made it herself. She wanted to ask, but it seemed like she’d lost the ability to speak. Her mouth felt impossibly dry all of a sudden. 

The figure in the doorway smiled at her and Nicole swore she could feel her heart explode. She managed to fix her lips into a dumb, goofy grin back. She’s racking her brain for something charming to say when Wynonna comes thundering into the room. 

“Haught damn, you made it!” she cried, throwing herself at the redhead. Nicole was shoved back onto the bed as Wynonna’s arms encircled her. She wrenched her eyes away from the beauty in the doorway to regard the girl who was currently squeezing her. 

“Uh, yeah...I guess? What happened?” she asked, still not exactly sure what was going on here. 

“You fainted,” Wynonna informed her. “That damn cazador got you good. Luckily I wasted the sucker and was able to drag your unconscious body all the way to Novac. Wynonna- 1, caza-dork- 0. You owe me, by the way.”

“Just add it to the tab,” Nicole chuckled. “But thank you, really.” Wynonna flapped her hand like it was no big deal, but Nicole could see a smile tugging at her lips. 

“Are you hungry?” Waverly suddenly asked from the doorway. She was regarding Nicole with an apprehensive look, as if she wasn’t sure what kind of person she was just yet. “Cause I made radscorpion omelets. Do you like radscorpion omelets?”

“Love em,” Nicole said with a kind smile. Actually, she didn’t really care for omelets, radscorpion or otherwise, but she wasn’t about to deny the beauty who was now beaming at her statement. “I’m Nicole by the way,” she added as she started to follow Wynonna into the kitchen. 

“I’m Waverly,” the younger Earp grinned. “Well- uh, I guess you already knew that, since I said it before.” A blush was creeping up on her cheeks, and Nicole laughed if only to set her at ease. 

“How could I forget?” Nicole replied playfully. Wynonna shoved a plate of food at Nicole after that, and her attention was momentarily stolen by the breakfast in front of her. Even though she had never been a fan of the dish, she was starving, and the smell of the warm food made her stomach growl rather loudly. 

“Good?” Waverly asked with hopeful eyes as the redhead dug in. How could Nicole do anything but nod enthusiastically? Waverly took a seat at the table with her own plate, Wynonna taking the seat beside her. The three ate in silence. When her plate was finally polished, Nicole sat back in satisfaction. 

“You know where Gus headed off to when she stormed out?” Wynonna asked, breaking the silence. 

“Oh she’s probably just sitting on her favorite chair outside. She likes to greet the customers and make sure no one’s poking around in the scrap yard,” Waverly replied. “If she’s not out there then she’s probably headed into town.”

Wynonna nodded her head at Nicole. “We should probably head into town today too. I was thinking we’d go around asking questions about uh…” her gaze flicked over to her sister, who was listening with interest. “Ah...you-know-who.” 

“Who?” Waverly asked, leaning her elbows on the table. 

“Nothing. No one. Not important,” Wynonna answered evasively. Nicole was guessing she hadn’t filled her in on the whole bullet-in-the-head situation. Suddenly Waverly turned and looked Nicole in the eye. “Who?” she asked again. 

“Uh-” Nicole panicked, her resolve faltering under the brunette’s fiery gaze even though she knew it wasn’t her place to spill Wynonna’s big news. Behind Waverly’s back, the gunslinger was shaking her head at Nicole with a murderous look. “Uh- um…” 

“Seriously Waverly, back off,” Wynonna groaned, sensing that her partner would not be able to hold out any longer. “While we’re on the topic though, would you have happened to see a guy in a fur coat passing through, by any chance?”

Waverly frowned. “Guy in a fur coat? In the middle of the Mojave? Unless you’re asking about a human puddle, no I haven’t seen him.” 

“Okay then. Haught, you ready to hit the road?” Wynonna asked, straightening up. Nicole stood as well, but the after effects of the cazador poison were hitting her hard as she did so, the room beginning to spin. 

“Uh, mind if we take a rain check on that? My head is killing,” Nicole murmured, bringing her hand up to her aching temple. 

“Guess I’m lone-wolfing it today,” Wynonna sighed. “Haught, you get some rest. Waverly, make sure she doesn’t die on me.” With that she kicked open the door and disappeared from view. 

Figuring Wynonna was right, she trudged back to bed. As she slipped under the covers, she could hear Waverly clearing the table. She momentarily felt bad, kicking herself for not offering to help clean up the mess. She didn’t have long to contemplate this before her exhausted mind pulled her into the darkness once more. 

* * *

After thirteen years living on Gibson's Scrap Yard, Waverly Earp had her daily routine down to a science. Every morning she would make her bed, get dressed, and go to the kitchen to make breakfast. She would read a book as she ate, waiting for Gus to wake up and join her so they could make some idle chit-chat before Gus would go to sit outside on her favorite chair. Waverly would then clean the kitchen and return to reading. When she was finished reading, she would neatly mark her place, tuck the book away, and head into town to greet the locals and/or run errands. She would check in with Robin Jett, who was in charge of the general store, and ask if he had any new reading material. After that, she would head home and ask Gus if she needed any help with anything. Once the evening hit, she would get dinner cooking, and the two would eat and chat about their day. Gus would switch on the radio and shamelessly swoon over the voice of Mr. New Vegas as Waverly did the dishes. Then Waverly would head off to bed, hopefully with some new reading material to consume before she officially turned the lights out. Rinse and repeat. 

So one can imagine how screwed up this routine became when one evening, just as Waverly was getting started on the dishes, Wynonna kicked the door in with an unconscious redheaded woman slung around her shoulders. 

“What in-” was all Gus managed to get out before she recognized the intruder. “Wynonna?”

“Gus...Wave...she’s...cazador...I need... _ antivenom _ ,” Wynonna panted as her eyes darted wildly between Gus, who was seated at the table, and Waverly, who was holding a wet plate in front of her like it was a shield. When no one moved, mostly because they were all too stunned to react, Wynonna collapsed, taking the redheaded stranger down with her. 

Gus and Waverly got to work then, hoisting Wynonna up and into a chair. She was still conscious, but pitifully out of breath and severely dehydrated. She kept pitching forward, reaching for the redhead who was still face down on the floor. Waverly put a hand to her sister’s chest, mumbling a soft, “ _ I got her _ ” before hauling the stranger into the garage where they kept a spare bed. The stranger was heavy,  _ bloody _ , covered in dirt, but most importantly, fucking  _ beautiful _ . Instead of staring at the gorgeous, possibly dead stranger, Waverly gently eased her down onto the bed. Wynonna hobbled into the garage with Gus tugging on her arm, urging her to go sit down, but the gunslinger was on a mission. 

“She needs antivenom. She was stung by a cazador,” Wynonna tried to explain through exaggerated, hyperventilating breaths. Waverly nodded sharply and dug through a nearby drawer for the small vial of cazador antivenom she kept for emergencies. She was used to reaching for the vial marked for radscorpions, as it was rare for a cazador to wander close to Novac, but Waverly reckoned Wynonna was blowing in from god-knows-where, so she decided to save her questions-and hurt feelings, for that matter- for later. 

* * *

Flash forward to a few hours later, after the antivenom had been administered and the stranger was sleeping soundly in the garage. The two Earp women, and one Gibson, were seated at the table. Wynonna had a tall glass of water in front of her, which was half-full if you were Waverly, half-empty if you were Gus. Honestly, the water around Novac wasn’t too great, and judging from the look on Wynonna’s face as she drank, Waverly could only assume it tasted of dead things. What she didn’t know was that Wynonna’s beverage of choice had evolved from Nuka Cola to whiskey in the seven years she spent away from home. 

Speaking of, Waverly was having a troubling time deciding how she felt about her sister’s homecoming. On the one hand, she was thrilled that her older sister was alive, but on the other, where the  _ heck _ had she been all this time? Waverly was hoping her sister would reveal this information, but no one was brave enough to break the silence. Well, almost silence; Gus refused to turn the radio completely off during Mr. New Vegas’s latest segment, opting instead to turn it down enough so that they could still hear it and hold a conversation if Wynonna ever grew the balls to start talking. Which, again, she hadn’t, so the three women instead listened to Mr. New Vegas until he introduced the next song on the air, “Johnny Guitar”. Gus famously didn’t care for this song, and her favorite radio host’s segment was over, so she stood from the table. 

“I’m sure you’ve had a long day,” she drawled as she glared at Wynonna. “And I’m sure you’re worried over your friend...not that you’ve ever  _ worried _ over your own-”

“Gus-” Waverly said sharply, knowing the older woman’s words would only lead to a fight between the two. 

It seemed like Gus wanted to say more, but for Waverly’s sake, she held back. “Anyways. If you don’t want to talk now, that’s fine. But if you’re still here in the morning, you’re telling us everything. And so help me god, if you leave your little friend here and she dies, or turns out to be one of those no-good Rev-head-whatevers, we’re burying her out back with the dogs, are we clear?” 

“Crystal,” Wynonna replied sardonically, never looking up from her glass of water. Gus nodded stiffly, shot Waverly a meaningful look, and turned to head off to bed. The silence that followed was thick, as both Earp girls tried to think of something to say to each other. Waverly wondered how long Wynonna would stay. Surely she would have to stay the night, as a sleepover in the nuclear wilderness wasn’t the best plan, but Gus seemed to think Wynonna wasn’t sticking around that long. Her heart clenched at the prospect of this bizarre night being the last she would ever see her sister. It had happened before with Willa, and now the same feeling was creeping up on her again. 

In a fit of restless energy, Wynonna suddenly chugged the rest of the water, not stopping for air until the glass was drained. She returned it to the table with a rather loud  _ thunk _ . 

“So who’s the hottie?” Waverly blurted out, cringing almost instantaneously. She really hadn’t meant to reveal how insanely attractive she found Wynonna’s new...friend?

Wynonna frowned, not following Waverly’s train of thought, until a look of understanding bloomed over her face. “No no, it’s  _ Haught _ .”

“Huh?”

“Her name is Haught,” Wynonna explained. “Nicole Haught. She’s a stray I picked up in Primm.”

“You were in Primm?” Waverly asked with a quirked eyebrow. 

“Briefly.” 

Silence. 

“Did you really fight a cazador?” Waverly inquired, thinking back to Wynonna’s panicked ramblings as she had burst through the door. 

“Yeah. Me and Haught. No-just me, actually. She  _ barely _ had him on the ropes before she went down. I’m the one who shot him,” Wynonna bragged, chuckling with her eyes fixed on the distance. 

“Where have you been?”

Silence. 

“Baby girl,” Wynonna sighed. “I’ve been everywhere.” 

* * *

Waverly was beyond relieved to wake up the next morning to find Wynonna snoozing at the kitchen table cradling a bottle of Gus’s good whiskey, no doubt in for a hangover but still amazingly  _ there _ . She eased the garage door open, careful not to wake the slumbering redhead. Waverly didn’t get too close, just checked to make sure she was still breathing, and that the wound on her arm looked good.  _ God _ she really was beautiful. Waverly drank in the sight of her, mapping the planes of her sleeping face. Her gaze caught on the little dot just beneath her left eye. She wondered what color those eyes were. 

Waverly knew, on some level, that her behavior was inappropriate. After all, staring at someone’s face while they’re unconscious is one of the creepiest things one can do. She was just so intrigued by this mysterious stranger. She began to wonder what this Nicole Haught was like. Who was this woman who had somehow befriended her estranged sister? How long had they been traveling together? Why did Wynonna bring her here? 

“How is she?” Wynonna’s groggy voice came from the doorway. Waverly whirled around, a bit embarrassed at being caught staring at Nicole. Wynonna wasn’t giving her any weird looks though, so she assumed Wynonna’s presence in the doorway arrived with her voice. 

“She should be fine. Doesn’t look like the wound is oozing any pus or anything.” 

Wynonna’s nose wrinkled at the word “pus”, and Waverly shook her head at her sister’s antics as the older Earp emitted a vomiting noise. Curiously, Wynonna stepped a little closer to peer at her companion. Waverly had to admit, she was a little jealous about how protective Wynonna seemed over the redhead. She had so many questions, and it was time she got some answers. She gently tugged on Wynonna’s arm and guided her back into the kitchen so their conversation wouldn’t interrupt the sleeping beauty. 

Gus was at the stove with a mix of ingredients spread out on the counter. “I thought I’d make you girls some breakfast this morning,” she said by way of greeting. Waverly and Wynonna exchanged glances as a slight burning smell worked its way into the air. There was a reason Waverly did most of the cooking. 

“Why don’t I take over for you?” she suggested, sliding the spatula out of Gus’s hand and guiding her to the kitchen table. “We want this food to be edible,” she added under her breath. Gus flapped her hand at the younger Earp indignantly, but yielded at last. Waverly discarded whatever it was Gus had been working on and cracked a few radscorpion eggs into a bowl. 

“Alright Wynonna,” Gus started. “What are you here for, girl?” Waverly glanced over at her sister, who was gingerly taking a seat at the table across from Gus. “I know it’s not for the free food, or the booze. Yeah, don’t think I didn’t notice you dipped into my stash.”

Wynonna rolled her eyes. “Can’t a gal just pop in for a little family reunion?”

“Yes, she can, and she should. But I didn’t meet you yesterday and you’ve had seven years to ‘pop in’. So why start now?”

“No time like the present, eh Gus?” Wynonna sneered, not in a mean way, but definitely in a bratty way. 

“ _ Wynonna _ .”

“I just...I just wanted to check in on Waverly,” Wynonna explained. “Honest.” 

“You came here for me?” Waverly piped up curiously. 

“I was worried. Me and Haught...we heard some bad men were coming this way. I just wanted to make sure…” 

Gus regarded her with distrusting eyes. “Who is this woman you brought into our home?” 

“She’s a friend. She’s a good person,” Wynonna asserted. “Look, some bad shit went down in Nipton. Her whole town was wiped out by those Bulshar freaks. She was all on her own, freaking the hell out, and no one was helping her.”

“Poor thing,” Gus murmured. “Wasteland’s no place to be all on your own.” 

“I got her back to Nipton, but by then the whole town was in flames, nothing left. I asked her if she wanted to come with me to Novac and she said she would. We were watching each other’s backs out there, just trying to get here alive, when we ran into that cazador. And, well…” Wynonna finished, bouncing her eyebrows as if to say the rest was history. 

“Well, that’s rather big of you Wynonna, but I have to ask,” Gus said, rising out of her seat. “What’s next? Your sister’s fine, plain as day. No bad men come to get her. So now what? You gonna stay or are you and your little friend gonna hightail it outta here as soon as you get bored?”

Waverly was hurt when Wynonna didn’t answer right away. She was hoping Wynonna still being there in the morning meant that she was  _ back _ , maybe for good. Maybe she had seen all she needed to see and she was coming back to be with her sister again. Maybe it could be like it used to be before Wynonna breezed out of her life like everyone else who was supposed to love her. For years she had dreamt about the day Wynonna would blow off her steam and finally come home. She imagined she would walk through the door, tell her all about her adventures in the wastes, and they would lay on the couch eating Sugar Bombs and drinking Nuka Cola like they used to. It was a pipe dream, and not a very substantial one either, because deep down she knew Wynonna had a wild streak that would never settle for a town as boring as Novac. She wasn’t the settlement type. Wynonna craved adventure, always had. The only thing stronger than her craving for adventure was her compulsive need to run away from all her problems. And one of her problems was Waverly, apparently, who relied on her way more than she probably should have. Ever since Daddy and Willa died, Wynonna and Gus were the only family she had left. 

“Look, I’ve got some unfinished business,” Wynonna started. 

Gus scoffed. “Course you do. Always got somewhere else to be.” With that she turned and yanked the front door open, dipping outside. 

“Now who’s got somewhere else to be,” Wynonna mumbled snidely. Waverly stared at her, turning the stove off. The eggs were done. 

“Where are you gonna go?” She asked hesitantly. 

“I don’t know yet,” Wynonna said after a pause. “Haught and I gotta figure that out while we’re here.”

“Right,” Waverly replied cooly, feeling the familiar sting of being excluded from something once more. “Which will be how long, exactly?” 

“I don’t know yet.” 

A thought occurred to her. “This doesn’t have anything to do with those bad men you were talking about earlier does it?” The look on Wynonna’s face said it all. “Wynonna you  _ cannot _ be serious!”

“I got a score to settle, alright?” Wynonna snapped. 

“What are you trying to do-” There was a shuffling noise from the garage. Waverly sighed. “I’ll go check on her.” And for the first time ever, she left Wynonna. 


	6. Looks Better On You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s a small update just to keep things going. Quick note before we get started- now that Waverly is finally in the story I decided to switch between Nicole and Waverly’s POV wherever I find it necessary because I feel like it’s just easier to write when I can utilize both their insights. I’ll start using the line breaks as indicators whenever the POV shifts. I hope that doesn’t get too confusing or distracting.

It was well into the afternoon when Nicole finally stumbled into the kitchen where Waverly was reading her novel. The younger Earp quickly marked her place with a scrap of paper as Nicole slid into the kitchen chair across from her. 

“Hey,” Nicole greeted her with a shy smile. “Is Wynonna still out?”

“Yeah. It’s only been a few hours.” Waverly scrutinized Nicole’s outfit. She guessed the redhead had been wearing a set of borrowed clothes when she had arrived the day before, as her travel-worn and blood-stained threads had seemed more like Wynonna’s taste. Now she was wearing a fresh set of jeans and a t-shirt that seemed a little more tailored to her style...even though Waverly had just met her and couldn’t know exactly what Nicole’s style could be from their very limited interactions. Still, she could tell that Nicole wasn’t the same brand as her sister, and that was a start. There was only one aspect of Nicole’s outfit that particularly caught her eye, and that was the jean jacket hoodie she had thrown over her t-shirt. It’s not like it didn’t look good on the redhead; it suited her very well. However, Waverly could have sworn she had seen it before. 

Nicole seemed to notice the object of Waverly’s attention and hastily started to remove her outer layer. “Sorry- Wynonna let me borrow this jacket,” she promptly explained. “She mentioned it was yours. You probably want it back-“ 

“Oh, no, it’s fine. You can keep it. It was  _ way  _ too big on me,” Waverly quickly interjected. Then, before she could lose the nerve- “It looks better on you anyways.” 

Waverly savored the effect the statement had on the redhead as a blush red enough to match her hair erupted across her face. Nicole mumbled something Waverly didn’t quite catch as she pulled the jacket back around her torso. She really didn’t know what possessed her to say that, even though the words she spoke were true. It wasn’t in her nature to be so brazen, but she decided she liked the way it felt. 

“So...uh, what’s that you’re reading?” Nicole asked once she seemed to get her emotions in check. Waverly passed her the well-worn hardcover she had been perusing and began to explain its contents as Nicole scanned the summary on the inside cover. 

“It’s all about Ancient Rome and all the gods they used to worship back then. It’s got all these pictures of what the gods and goddesses might’ve looked like and what each one stood for,” Waverly explained enthusiastically. 

“That’s really interesting,” Nicole replied earnestly as she began to flip through the pages. She stopped about halfway through the book, where a particularly... _ detailed _ sketch of one of the goddesses took up the entire page. Waverly felt her own face start to flush as Nicole smirked at the image. Thankfully, she continued on and eventually handed the reading material back over to Waverly. “You like ancient history.” 

It was a statement, not a question, but Waverly still nodded eagerly in response. “I do. My Uncle Curtis had a whole collection of books about Ancient Rome and Greece. I always found it so interesting, especially with all the gods and goddesses they worshipped. Like, each deity had its own role in how the world worked. I read everything he had; I even learned how to read the ones that were written in Latin,” she realized she had been rambling and was about to shoot Nicole an apologetic look, until she noticed that Nicole had been listening to her word-vomit with genuine interest. It was a nice change from the way most folks in town mildly tolerated her babbling. Still, she decided to pity her audience and swiftly changed the subject. “So uh...are you feeling better?” 

Nicole leaned back in her chair and took a moment to assess her current state of health, eventually nodding slowly. “Yeah, a bit. My head’s not killing me anymore. I was thinking I’d go out and try to catch up with Wynonna if she doesn’t come back soon. I’m just worried I’ll get lost.”

“I could probably help you find her,” Waverly offered, knowing how small the town was and how there were only a handful of places Wynonna could’ve ended up. “I bet I could lead you right where she ran off to.” 

Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and passed her a thankful look. “Would you? That would be really great.” 

“Yeah, c’mon, let’s go,” Waverly giggled as she pushed herself out of her chair. She quickly excused herself to return her book back to the overflowing bookshelf in her room, then joined Nicole outside. The redhead had clearly been blinded by the sun, judging by the way she had her eyes screwed shut and an arm held up blocking the offensive rays. Waverly sucked in air through her teeth and hummed apologetically. “Should’ve warned you about the afternoon sun on Gibson’s Scrapyard.” 

“It probably has more to do with the fact that I haven’t seen the sun in a few hours,” Nicole replied good naturedly. “Though all this metal around definitely isn’t on my side.” Waverly gave Nicole a few moments to let her eyes adjust to the sun, waiting patiently as Nicole eventually lowered her arm and took a few experimental blinks. She turned to Waverly triumphantly, and Waverly was warmed by this small victory, until Nicole’s jubilant expression morphed into one of pure confusion as her gaze settled on something in the distance. 

“Waverly...what in the name of Holy Atom is  _ that _ ?!”

Waverly quickly whirled around and tried to follow Nicole’s line of sight, not really seeing anything out of place. In time, understanding dawned on her as she reasoned that Nicole must’ve been referring to the fifty-foot T-Rex statue just outside the Dino Dee-lite Motel. She giggled at the unadulterated caution fixed on Nicole’s face as the redhead's fingers curled around the handle of the revolver strapped to her waist. “Relax,” she chuckled. “That’s just Dinky The Dinosaur. He watches over our town, or else the snipers in his mouth do. He’s not a threat to us, seeing as he’s been here since before the bombs fell...and because he’s made of concrete.” 

Nicole looked dubious, though her cautious posture had been discarded at Waverly’s unbothered demeanor. “You’re kidding…” When Waverly didn’t affirm her statement, Nicole’s brow furrowed as she muttered “so that's what a dinosaur looks like...?” 

“I’ve got a whole book about dinosaurs I can lend you,” Waverly said soothingly, leading Nicole on the path to town. The walk was pleasant as Waverly took the time to explain the town’s quirky appearance. “You might notice from the sign up ahead that it used to say ‘No Vacancy’, but I guess the bombs blew off the letters until it just read ‘Novac’, which is where the town’s name came from. This whole motel area is based around the dinosaur theme, if you didn’t catch that from Dinky The Dinosaur, who, by the way, doubles as a gift shop.” 

Nicole stared at her incredulously as she searched her face for any sign of deceit. When she couldn’t find any, she craned her neck to see where the entrance could be, eventually finding it when Waverly pointed out the set of stairs leading up to a door built into Dinky’s side. “That is utter nonsense,” she scoffed, which earned her a swat from Waverly, who could understand why she would be put off but needed to defend her home nevertheless. The two made their way up the rickety stairs and pushed their way into the cramped, dimly lit space within the dinosaur. Inside, Robin Jett, the bored looking clerk at the front counter, perked up at the incoming customers. 

“Waverly! You’re right on time; I just received a new shipment of supplies, whiiiich just so happened to include this-” Robin reached beneath the counter and produced a thick tome which seemed to be in stellar condition. Waverly immediately bounded forward and took the book off his hands, studying its contents with interest. She caught sight of a few ancient symbols she had never seen before and skimmed a few paragraphs detailing what the symbols meant. She was so enraptured by this new reading material that she completely forgot Nicole was there, and still standing awkwardly in the doorway. 

“Oh-sorry, Robin, this is Nicole. She’s a friend of Wynonna’s,” she explained at once, then thought for a second, unacquainted with the usage of "Wynonna" and "friend" in the same sentence. “Is ‘friend’ the right word?” 

“I feel like Wynonna would prefer ‘reluctant travel companion’,” Nicole smirked. “But seeing as she kind of saved my life, I feel like ‘friend’ works too.” 

Robin visibly expressed interest at the mention of Wynonna. “I was actually going to ask you about that, Waverly, I didn’t know she was back in town. She’s still in the head if you were hoping to catch her,” he jerked his thumb over to a set of stairs to his right, their left. 

“The…head…?” Nicole started to ask. 

“Of the dino, yup,” Robin nodded. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Nicole huffed in disbelief as Waverly giggled at her. She slid the brunette a long-suffering look and gestured for her to follow. Waverly hesitated. She knew this town pretty well, which meant she also knew that Champ Hardy, her ex-boyfriend who worked as one of the snipers who shot down any threats approaching town, was definitely up there now. 

“I’m gonna pass actually,” Waverly said apologetically, holding up her new book as a sort of excuse. “Got a lot to work on here. Besides, if Wynonna is up there, the head’s probably cramped as it is. Also…” she hesitated, debating mentioning this next part, throwing caution to the wind and tossing it out there anyways. “My ex-boyfriend is probably up there and I just really don’t want to see him right now.” She didn’t miss the disappointment that briefly passed over Nicole’s face, but decided she wouldn’t read into it as the redhead shrugged it off. 

“Fair enough. Uh- thanks for showing me around. You have fun with that book.” 

“I will,” Waverly grinned, not taking her eyes off the redhead who was now making her way up the stairs. Once she had been engulfed by the door, she turned to Robin with the intention of asking how many caps she owed him for the book. Instead, she found him staring at her with his head propped against his hand leaning on the counter with an ever-so-smug expression on his face. 

“You like her,” he said simply, obviously taking joy in the immediate blush that bloomed across Waverly’s face following his statement. 

“Shut up…” 

* * *

As Nicole pushed open the door to the dino head nest, she suddenly understood why Waverly had said the nest was a bit cramped. There was only a short space where one could sit in the mouth of the dinosaur, the teeth concealing this secret spot from anyone looking up from below. She was glad Waverly hadn’t joined them, as she surely wouldn’t have made a nice addition to the confined space.

Which brings us to the next and most important reason Nicole was glad Waverly had not accompanied her, which lay in the disturbing scene of Wynonna pressed closely against Champ, clearly flirting as she drew little patterns on the man’s chest with her finger.

“Oh- Wynonna, gross! That’s Waverly’s ex-boyfriend!” Nicole exclaimed as she took in the revolting sight in front of her.

Wynonna threw her an annoyed glare as Champ jumped as far back as he could go, inadvertently crashing his back onto one of the dino’s teeth. “Damn it Haught, you blew my cover. I was  _ trying _ to seduce this moron. Way to kill the mood, Haught-shot.”

Nicole was still disgusted by what she had walked into, but settled for relieved that Wynonna wasn’t betraying her own sister. Nevertheless, her unimpressed expression didn’t change as she scoffed at the gunslinger. “There are easier ways to get information.”

“False,” Wynonna shot back, fondling her own chest. “I went for the easiest way possible: seducing a man who thinks with the wrong head.” 

Nicole tried to feel sympathy for Champ, who was now standing there with a bit of an exaggerated pout as Wynonna laid out her game plan. She wanted to feel bad that he was being used, but judging from how enthusiastically he was pressed up against his ex-girlfriend’s sister before he was caught in the act, she pegged him as a scumbag and decided against wasting her time. “So did you find out where Bobo went or what?” 

“I was  _ getting _ to that,” Wynonna growled before turning to Champ expectantly. 

Champ scoffed. “No way I’m telling you that now. If you want me to tell you where that dude went, you’re gonna have to do something for me.” 

“Okay, fine, with my hand?” Wynonna offered, making a crude handjob motion. 

“No, not that,” Champ frowned, until a more thoughtful expression crossed his face. “Unless-” 

“Champ-” Nicole interjected sharply. “ _ Focus. _ ”

“Right,” Champ shook his head, as though freeing his mind from the dirty images Wynonna’s statement had conjured. “I’ve got a problem. First of all, I never really understood why, but people in this town seem to like trading junk. A lot of that crap comes from that old testing site up the road that used to launch, like, rockets and shit. Anyways, a while ago, some of those zombie-thingies took over up there, and ever since we’ve been getting like ten to fifteen of those assholes a day. I’m shooting them down left and right but they just keep coming. It’s so annoying. Anyways, if you could go up there and clear the place out, I’ll tell you where the dude in the fur coat went.” 

Nicole exchanged looks with Wynonna. It seemed like an awful lot to ask in exchange for information, but the botched attempt at seducing the information out of him had upped the stakes. Wynonna rolled her eyes and turned to Champ. 

“Fine,” she gritted out. “But if I get killed by a ghoul, I’m coming back and haunting your ass for the rest of eternity.” 

* * *

Waverly was just cracking open her new book when Wynonna kicked the door open, Nicole trailing apologetically behind due to Wynonna’s rather abrupt entrance. Gus brought up the rear, and since she didn’t seem fazed by Nicole, Waverly assumed that in the time they had been apart, she and her aunt had finally been properly introduced. 

“Champ Hardy is a son of a bitch,” Wynonna said by way of greeting, flopping down unceremoniously into the nearest kitchen chair. Gus and Nicole took seats on either side of the gunslinger, and Waverly closed her book in anticipation of the incoming family discussion. “Didn’t know he was your type, baby girl,” Wynonna added, giving her a knowing look. It was the contrite look on Nicole’s face that clued her in on where Wynonna had gotten the information that they had dated. 

“Small town, limited dating options,” was Waverly’s only excuse as she merely shrugged it off. It wasn’t like Wynonna’s previous collection of boyfriends had been much better. 

“Anyways,” Wynonna said. “Chump said we’ve gotta clear out the old rocket testing site before he’ll tell us what we need to know.”

“Which is what, exactly?” Gus asked without missing a beat. Waverly held her breath as she studied Wynonna’s face, recognizing the tell-tale signs that Wynonna was about to drop a bomb on them, as she was so skillful at doing just that. 

“Okay...listen,” Wynonna started. “When I was out there in the wastes, I started doing a few courier jobs here and there. About a week ago... I kinda _ got-shot-in-the-head-a-little-bit-on-the-job _ .” Wynonna had said that last sentence in a single breath, but Waverly still caught every word, the implications hitting her hard. She knew she should be grateful that her sister had obviously lived, since she was sitting in front of her, alive, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of almost losing her sister, just like what had happened with Willa. Gus just sat there with her face screwed into a furious expression, digesting this information. 

“I wouldn’t assume the man who shot you has anything to do with the reason you came home?” Gus asked with an almost lethal expression. 

“Never said it was a man,” Wynonna said meekly. “Gotta check those assumptions, Gus.” 

“Unbelievable,” Gus scoffed. “But what does this have to do with the information you’re trying to get from Champ Hardy?” 

“Well, we’re kind of trying to...track him down…?” 

“Are you some kind of stupid?!” Gus hollered, slamming her hand on the table. “What would you want to go and do that for?!” She suddenly turned to Nicole, who adopted a terrified expression at the incoming confrontation. “And you- are you enabling this cock-headed idea of hers?” 

“I told her it was a bad idea,” Nicole quickly interjected. “But we both agreed that there is something fishy going on. We believe that the guy who shot Wynonna stole something from her that could be really dangerous, and we’re the only ones who know about it, so it’s up to us to get it back.” 

“What-what did he steal from you, some kinda weapon?” Gus asked with her eyebrows knitted together. 

There was a moment of hesitation as Nicole and Wynonna exchanged a look. “Uh...more like a ring,” Wynonna said in a strained voice. 

“A ring? How the hell is a ring dangerous?” Gus asked in the most unimpressed voice. 

“Well, we don’t know what he’s gonna do with the ring,” Nicole replied rather lamely. 

“Well, I don’t know sweetie, maybe he was fixin to sell it to the highest bidder,” Gus said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“But why did he shoot me for it? Why was it the only thing he took from me? And how did he know I was carrying something valuable?” Wynonna asked in rapid succession, as if to prove she had put some level of thought into it. Waverly had to admit, she had the bones of a good argument, but she was too put off by the recklessness of the plan to fully agree. 

“Who knows, gangs these days will rob any sucker blind, that don’t make you special,” Gus shot back. “Wynonna, honey, I love you to death but you’re being reckless, and you,” she swiveled her head to address Nicole . “You’re not much better if you’re going along with this crazy plan.” 

“I don’t know, going along with crazy plans with Wynonna hasn't gotten me killed yet,” Nicole tried to say with a chuckle. The resulting glare from Gus promptly made her hang her head in shame. “Look, I don’t have anywhere else to go. And I feel like that’s due in part to whatever it is the guy who shot Wynonna is up to. I tried to talk Wynonna out of it, I really did, but the more we talked, the more convinced I became that this guy is up to no good.”

“Well then, you’re both morons,” Gus said plainly, rising from her seat at the table. “If you two want to follow trouble and get yourselves killed, have at it. I just hope you’re thinking about the people you’re leavin behind.” With a meaningful nod toward Waverly, who was still sitting there in shock, she turned and disappeared down the hallway in the direction of her room. 

Wynonna turned to Waverly with pleading eyes. “Baby girl, I’m sorry, but you have to admit, it’s sketchy.” 

“I...I have to get started on dinner,” Waverly simply said, standing to her feet and moving in the direction of the cabinet where she had stashed a box of Blamco Mac and Cheese. Her limbs moved as if on autopilot, numbly gathering water into a pot and striking a match to get the stove started.

“Well that could’ve gone worse,” she heard Wynonna groan sardonically at the table. 

  
“At least you didn’t tell her that the guy’s name is  _ Bobo _ ,” came Nicole’s disheartened reply. 


End file.
